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Tag: V8

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1995 BMW M540i

1995 BMW M540i

Published July 17, 2015 by Carter

Last week’s E34 M5 Double Take left many feeling a little cold; sure, they were both neat cars, but the general consensus was that both were probably at least a bit (or a lot) overpriced. While finding another good M5 in the marketplace can be difficult, if you’re willing to forgo the M badge – or at least part of it – there are great options in the E34 market. One of the neatest is arguably the Canadian market M540i. Only 32 of these special 5 series were produced, all with a 6-speed manual 540i basis. But the special M5 details that were added created a defacto M car that is very special indeed. The M Adaptive suspension was fit, along with the floating M5 brake system featuring 13.6″ front brakes hidden not well under the equally massive 18″ M Parallel wheels. Outside there was M tech pieces front, sides and rear, matched inside by the M cloth. So exclusive were these M540is that there were only two options offered; a CD changer and ASC traction control.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1995 BMW M540i on Kijiji

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2003 Mercedes Benz SL55 AMG

2003 Mercedes Benz SL55 AMG

Published July 14, 2015 by Andrew

Of the contemporary Mercedes models, the SL55 AMG is certainly among my favorites. The lines on this car are about as good as it gets for the time period and few Benzes pulled off the double oval headlights as well as the SL did. It is a true testament to the quality of the design that the car still looks fresh even though it’s 12 years old. For me a big part of that formula are the Type V “Turbine” wheels. These have always been my favorites on the R230 cars, they’re equal parts opulence and performance, much like the car itself. An SL55 AMG is one of those cars I will forever aspire to own, if only for a brief period of time because I know the kind of road trips it would inspire me to take. Long jaunts for no apparent reason other than to enjoy the drive and end up at an enjoyable locale, that’s the kind of thing these cars are built for. Could you use one as a daily driver? From a reliability standpoint I’m sure you could, the 5.4L supercharger V8 has proven reliable over the years. I’d certainly have no problem pulling this thing out of a garage every day but in some ways I think that’d defeat the purpose of the car. It’s a purpose built cruiser with loads of power, it begs to be driven hard on long stretches of road. My guess is the seller would agree given that they’re the 3rd owner and the car has just 30k on the clock.

Click for details: 2003 Mercedes Benz SL55 AMG on MBWorld.com

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2003 Audi S8

2003 Audi S8

Published July 11, 2015 by Andrew

Like so many of us, my interest in Audi’s super sedan started with the film Ronin, in which the car takes center stage during one of the greatest chase scenes of all time. Prior to seeing the film I had zero interest in Euro luxo barges with big motors. I thought the bulletproof 750iL from Tomorrow Never Dies was pretty badass, but it wasn’t a car that lusted after because I knew real ones didn’t come with rocket launchers. Following that first viewing of Ronin however, I was obsessed and to this day the D2 S8 is still my favorite Audi to carry the badge. I appreciate the refined D3 and its Lamborghini sourced V10, as well as the current D4 models with their insanely high tech features and the biturbo V8 power plant shared with Bentley. However, sometimes a brand just does it right the first go round and I think that’s the case with the S8. The svelte styling would have you think the car comes in at less than the 4,000 lb curb weight, a number which is achieved with the much ballyhooed Audi Space Frame. Much has been made of the aluminum frame of these A8/S8 cars over the years and while I think it’s certainly cool, I don’t think it’s what makes these cars so special. For me it is the overall design language and appearance that puts the S8 above the competition.

Click for details: 2003 Audi S8 on Cars.com

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Just Missing the Map: 2011 BMW M3 Individual

Just Missing the Map: 2011 BMW M3 Individual

Published July 10, 2015 by Carter

While the twin Individual Gran Coupes from this morning were certainly a good start, if I were seriously contemplating special ordering a car and paying extra for it, it would probably be a full-fledged M model. BMW’s obviously made a habit of offering limited-run M models, and it seems – generally – that those models plus the regular run of options resulted in less people turning towards BMW Individual to spec out their cars. But thankfully, some did – and we end up with some pretty cool color combinations, such as the Java Green hued 2013 I looked at last year.

One of my biggest gripes with some special editions is that they don’t seem to be particularly special at all; generally, just a different than normal color combination. All of the manufacturers are guilty of this, not just BMW; but the Lime Rock Park Edition is one that really makes me cross. I’m not even sure why; it is, indeed, a special car – a fully loaded Competition Package car, limited to 200 examples in Fire Orange, with a unique exhaust and a track map indicating the etymology of the name. It was also the end of the legendary 2-door M3 (for now). But since you could special order Fire Orange from BMW’s Individual department and have, theoretically, a 1 of 1 example for about the same money, I just was never sure why the Lime Rock Park Edition was so special. One thing is for certain, though – the color stands out on this exceptional package and if you were clever, you beat BMW to the market:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2011 BMW M3 on Craigslist

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1999 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG Estate

1999 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG Estate

Published July 8, 2015 by Carter

In 1999, if you wanted a small German performance car capable of carrying several adults, you had a few options. First, you could select the BMW M3 – the benchmark for performance in the category, the E36 was nearing the end of it’s life cycle and the sedan had been dropped for the last model year. There was no M3 Touring model available, so if you wanted a wagon you needed to move over to the folks from Ingolstadt; Audi’s second generation S4. While unlike the M3 you couldn’t opt for a convertible, importantly if you wanted to carry your 2.2 children and dog in style they had the Avant available. While BMW’s neutered U.S. spec M3 made it by with only 240 horsepower, Audi’s twin turbocharged V6 offered less displacement but waves of torque and 250 horsepower. Those were the days when a 10 horsepower jump over your competition was a pretty big deal. So, you can imagine the shock when Mercedes-Benz introduced it’s new take on the small executive performance market with the introduction of the V8-engined C43 AMG. While the C36’s inline-6 had a 26 horsepower advantage over its nearest rival, the C43 broke through the 300 horsepower mark with the M113, with 306 horsepower, but staggeringly also 302 lb.ft of torque. That’s a lot, even by today’s standard, and it was not only available in sedan form, but also in Touring form. Though the Tourings never made it to these shores, one has popped up on eBay and is for sale in the Great White North:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1999 Mercedes-Benz C43 AMG Estate on eBay

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